Gibb, Rosenthal Reach FIVB Semifinals in Czech Republic

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 9, 2008) - The U.S. beach volleyball team of Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal stormed its way through the bracket to reach the semifinal round of the SWATCH-FIVB Tour event on tvanice island in Prague, Czech Republic. The 13th-ranked Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) have not dropped a set in winning two matches on Thursday and two on Friday to reach the semifinal. Germany's 11th-seeded Julius Brink and Christoph Dieckmann will play in Saturday's other semifinal. Their opponents will come from Saturday's consolation-round matches. The U.S. team of Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.), ranked 23rd, lost its second match in the double-elimination tournament on Friday and finished ninth.

The Prague tournament gives Gibb and Rosenthal the eight SWATCH-FIVB tournaments they need to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. The pair ranks second among U.S. men's teams in Olympic qualifying points behind Phil Dalhausser (Ormand Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.). The United States will send two men's teams to the Olympic Games. Mike Lambert (Kaneohe, Hawai'i) and Stein Metzger (Honolulu, Hawai'i) are third among the U.S. men's teams in Olympic qualifying, but they still need three more tournaments to reach eight and the team has not been competing together due to an injury to Lambert. Metzger competed at the SWATCH FIVB tournament in Australia with Mark Williams (Los Angeles).